Claims by Undergraduate Students Against Faculty

Seeking Assistance for Claims Against Faculty Members

If your claim against a faculty member is for discrimination or discriminatory harassment, you have options, both informal and formal, for dealing with your concerns. You may pursue informal means instead of or before making a formal complaint. If an informal procedure is ineffective, the formal procedures remain open to you. If your claim is not for discrimination or discriminatory harassment, you may pursue the informal procedures outlined below.


Informal Procedures: Faculty-Student Mediator

If you would like to proceed informally with the assistance of a third person, you should contact the faculty-student mediator for your school.

Each mediator is a full-time faculty member or administrator of his/her school designated to consider student grievances from a neutral perspective. The mediator will attempt to help you resolve your concern. If your grievance involves a faculty member from another school, your mediator will advise the mediator for that school of the complaint.

In the process of addressing a grievance, the mediator will make a brief written record of your grievance, including the names of the parties, the nature of the accusation, the responsive explanation of the faculty member and the resolution of the case. In processing any type of grievance, the mediator will strive to protect, to the greatest extent possible, the confidentiality of your complaint, but complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in every instance.


Other Confidential Resources

If you want to discuss your situation in a more confidential setting or clarify your feelings about whether and how you wish to proceed, you may want to consult with a social worker, therapist, or member of the clergy, many of whom are permitted, by law, to assure greater confidentiality. Clergy and counseling resources are listed in Bearings and Security on the Danforth Campus. In addition, you may contact Student Counseling Services at 314-935-6666 for a confidential discussion and, if desired, referral to off-campus resources.


Formal Procedures for Complaints Alleging Discrimination or Harassment

If your claim involves discrimination or harassment and you are not satisfied with the results of an informal procedure, or elect not to participate in an informal procedure, you may file a file a complaint pursuant to the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment. This process may lead to a formal hearing at which evidence will be considered and witnesses heard.